March 19th, 2023 - The Timpanator Vs. The Scarabus

 

Hello and happy Sunday my rocking and craft beer drinking friends!  The Meista here with another killer pairing for ya!  This one is with "Scarabus", the 3rd and sadly final album from the Ian Gillan Band and a tasty Timpanator Doppelbock from the fine folks at Level Crossing Brewing Company!  Hells yeah!

Album Info:

• Artist: Ian Gillan Band
• Title: "Scarabus"
• Recorded: July through August 1977 at Kingsway Recorders in London, England
• Release date: October 7th, 1977 (3rd studio album by the Ian Gillan Band)
• Record company: Island Records
• Production: Ian Gillan Band
• Album cover art: Tony Wright
• Personnel: Ray Fenwick (guitars and backing vocals), Ian Gillan (lead vocals), John Gustafson (bass and backing vocals), Mark Nauseef (drums and percussion), and Colin Towns (keyboards and flutes)
• Musical style: Hard rock, progressive rock with elements of jazz fusion
• Sound: Blending hard rock with more progressive and jazz fusion elements, the sound on "Scarabus" was wonderfully unique and quite the departure at the time from Gillan's sound with his former bandmates Deep Purple.
• Major themes: Life, isolation, anger, knowledge, journeys, insanity, states of being, relationships, etc.
• Tracks:

1. "Scarabus"
2. "Twin Exhausted"
3. "Poor Boy Hero"
4. "Mercury High"
5. "Pre-Release"
6. "Slags To Bitches"
7. "Apathy"
8. "Mad Elaine"
9. "Country Lights"
10. "Fool's Mate"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Level Crossing Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: http://www.levelcrossingbrewing.com/
• Brew: Timpanator Doppelbock
• Style: German Doppelbock Lager
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 8.4%
• IBUs: 22
• Pour: The Timpanator pours a deep mahogany amber with a thin, yet firm off-white head with good retention and lacing.
• Nose: The nose is characterized by sweet, malty, and slightly boozy aromas.  There are aromas of toasted breads, raisin, fig, black cherry juice, a hint of bourbon, oak, and sweet, burnt toffee.
• Taste: Following the nose, the taste of the Timpanator is characterized by roasty, toasty, malt-forward, sweet, and fruity flavors.  There are notes of bready malts, toasted bread, light chocolate, sweet and rich caramel/toffee, and dark cherries, boiled raisins.
• Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is very smooth with a slightly boozy finish..

Overall pairing: The Level Crossing Timpanator Doppelbock is wonderfully complex and bold with a hearty backbone and loads of intense flavors that go great with the hard rockin' progressive fusion vibes of Ian Gillan Band's underrated "Scarabus"!  Those sweeter flavors go well with the soaring guitars and vocals, and the bass riffs while the boozy bite is right in line with the intense drumming and lyrical content!

Cheers!!